CHAPTER 2 — The Mafia King's Secret
The convoy drove for nearly two hours.
No one spoke.
Vivien sat curled against the SUV door, both arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.
Every few minutes she glanced at the men surrounding her.
Professional.
Silent.
Disciplined.
None of them looked like ordinary bodyguards.
These men looked like soldiers.
Finally the SUV slowed.
Massive iron gates opened.
Beyond them stood something that looked less like a house...
...and more like a fortress.
Stone walls.
Private security towers.
Armored vehicles.
Armed guards positioned every twenty feet.
Vivien whispered,
"My God..."
Vincent answered quietly.
"This is Blackwood Estate."
The SUV stopped beneath a marble entrance where dozens of staff members stood waiting.
Doctors.
Nurses.
Security.
Lawyers.
Everyone looked nervous.
Not because of Vivien.
Because of the man walking down the front steps.
Adrian.
He wore a charcoal suit with no tie.
Dark circles rested beneath his eyes as though he hadn't slept for days.
The moment he saw Vivien...
Every ounce of confidence disappeared.
He crossed the driveway almost at a run.
"Vivien."
She stepped backward.
"You lied to me."
"I know."
"You never told me who you were."
"I couldn't."
"You let me fall in love with someone who didn't even exist."
Pain flashed across Adrian's face.
"The man you met existed."
"The name didn't."
She laughed bitterly.
"Which part was real?"
"The dancing?"
"The balcony?"
"The promises in your eyes?"
"Were those fake too?"
Adrian stepped closer.
"No."
"Those were the only honest hours I've had in years."
Vivien wanted to hate him.
Instead she hated herself for believing him.
Then Adrian's gaze slowly lowered toward her stomach.
His expression changed completely.
Fear.
Hope.
Wonder.
"Vincent..."
His voice barely worked.
"The doctor was right?"
Vincent nodded.
"Three healthy embryos."
Adrian closed his eyes.
For several long seconds he said nothing.
When he finally opened them...
They were wet.
Vivien had never imagined a man like Adrian Blackwood could cry.
He whispered,
"I'm going to be a father."
Vivien immediately answered.
"Don't."
His smile faded.
"You don't get to say that."
"You don't get to suddenly decide you're a father after disappearing without a word."
"I searched."
She laughed.
"For six weeks?"
"For six years?"
Adrian shook his head.
"I searched from the next morning."
"My enemies reached you first."
"They erased every trace."
Vivien stared.
"What?"
Adrian motioned toward the library.
"There are things you deserve to know."
Inside, he opened a hidden safe.
Thousands of photographs spilled across the desk.
Vivien picked one up.
It was her.
Leaving work.
Buying groceries.
Visiting her mother's grave.
Another photo.
Another.
Hundreds.
Her stomach turned.
"You've been watching me."
"I've been protecting you."
"That's not protection!"
"It's obsession!"
"No."
Adrian answered quietly.
"It's survival."
He opened one final folder.
Inside were dozens of crime scene photographs.
Destroyed apartments.
Burned cars.
Dead men.
Every victim had one thing in common.
A small black playing card placed on the body.
Ace of Spades.
"They were looking for you."
Vivien's voice shook.
"Why?"
Adrian looked directly at her.
"Because they believed..."
"...the woman I disappeared with for one night..."
"...might someday carry my heirs."
Vivien suddenly understood.
She had never been free after that wedding.
She had simply never noticed the invisible war being fought around her.
And it had already cost dozens of lives.
Before either of them could speak...
Every light inside the mansion went dark.
Security alarms erupted.
A guard shouted from outside.
"POWER'S OUT!"
Another voice screamed through the radio.
"THEY BREACHED THE NORTH WALL!"
Gunfire erupted across the estate.
Adrian immediately drew his pistol.
He looked at Vivien.
May you like
"They found us."
Then the first rocket exploded against the mansion.
